Schooling aside, RedBlacks cornerback Reggie Jones comes from the House of Hard Knocks.

The hardest imaginable knock hit him on an autumn morning in 1999 when the then 13-year old was awakened by a loud bang. He ran upstairs to find his stepfather, Donyea Jones, screaming and in flames.

Police said Tonya Jones, Reggie's mom, lit him on fire while he slept.

Donyea, who had taught Reggie how to catch a football in their backyard, died from burns to 90% of his body. Tonya went to prison for second-degree murder.

"It was extremely difficult," Reggie Jones said Tuesday of the tragedy, and entering his teenage years without his parents. "It's extremely difficult growing up in that type of environment, but that doesn't mean I have to be defeated. A lot give in. They use their trial as a crutch. I use it as a trampoline, to propel higher.

"I'm just using my positive mindset, and giving back."

Jones, who has been with four NFL teams and owns a Super Bowl ring from his season on injured reserve with the 2009 New Orleans Saints, was the last player to arrive at RedBlacks camp. He had a good excuse. In his hometown of Seattle, Wash., he hosted his charity golf tournament Saturday and his charity football camp Sunday.

In "giving back," Jones has his own foundation, called Showtime For Stars. He has made 50 "presentations" to kids in the past year alone.

"It's a mentoring program for student athletes," said the 6-foot, 200-pounder. "First of all you have to have that student. Without it, you can't be an athlete. Taking that dream of wanting to go play pro ball and using it to do more than just being an athlete. Go off and be a reporter. Go off and be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever it may be. I'm just trying to give back what I didn't have."

All prompted by his past.

"My background, growing up," he said. "My mom in prison. My dad being dead. Not having people around me, positive influences, and overcoming all odds and becoming a success story, rather than another statistic. That right there allowed me to want to give back, and want to be involved in people's lives."

Long term, Jones plans to carry on as a motivational speaker, trying to make a difference. But before that, he'd like to have a nice long career with the RedBlacks.

"First impressions are it's fast paced," Jones said of the CFL. "That 10 yard motion is different, for sure. I've got to get adjusted to that. At the end of the day, it's football. My job is the same thing. I play corner. Stop the receiver from catching the ball. Any means necessary. You get to be a little more physical up here, which is a plus. I'm a physical guy, so I'm going to use that to my advantage."

He'll also use his other talent. His gift of gab.

"Talking on the field is what I do," said Jones, grinning. "Right now my voice is a little shot. I'm trying to get it back. I've been trying to rest it, get a little tea in me., When my voice comes back, it's on."

ON THE SIDELINES: RedBlacks head coach Rick Campbell noted some players were "fighting it a bit" on Day 3 of camp, which was held through a couple of downpours. "These are the days I think guys start to separate themselves, when you get up to Day 4, Day 5, Day 6," he said. "Guys just need to make sure the arrow is going up and we're getting better. There's definitely some guys out there that can make some plays. We're going to be a team this year that needs to have a couple of home run hitters, guys that can make a 10-yard play an 80-yard play. There's definitely some of those guys out there, which is good to see." ... Speaking of having the gift of gab, former Rough Rider pass catcher Ken Evraire announced on Twitter he will be an analyst on the RedBlacks TSN1200 pre-and-post game shows, joining host Lee Versage.